Collective Moments
by etceterae
Summary: An ongoing collection of moments between the Detective Conan/Case Closed/Magic Kaitou cast. Crackfic, romance, and breaking of fourth-walls. //Morning: Akai thinks about Akemi on the last morning, not wanting to admit his quiet desperation.
1. Roses and Hangliders

**Fandom:** Detective Conan/Case Closed

**Disclaimer:** They belong to Gosho Aoyama. I wish they were mine. o.o

**Story** **Title:** Collective Moments

**Notes: **Some people get a bit too imaginative, in my opinion.

**Chapter Title: **Roses and Hangliders

**Chapter Summary: **Shinichi discovers something terrifying online, something horrifying enough to turn him inarticulate and a shade of scarlet. Kaito just thinks it's funny.

**Chapter Quote: **"Come on. I've been watching you squirm there for nearly a half-hour now."

* * *

Shinichi stared at the computer.

Kaito had noticed that the detective had been reading something with extreme interest, his face flushed (was that embarrassment?) and the curve of his neck bright with cold sweat. Occasionally Shinichi would glare at the screen, and sometimes he'd let out a strangled noise that Kaito could only figure might have been indignation. Whatever Shinichi was reading, it was..._enticing_.

"What're you up to?" he asked from the doorway.

Shinichi started, and chocked on his drink when he saw Kaito looking expectantly at him. "It's nothing," he said, sounding extremely flustered.

Kaito rolled his eyes. "Come on. I've been watching you squirm there for nearly a half-hour now."

"Well," said Shinichi helplessly, "I'd rather not - "

"Does it involve me?" said Kaito, narrowing his eyes suspiciously.

Shinichi flushed heavily, and didn't answer.

"If it's Kaitou Kid's fangirl gossip column on why I was so flustered and unkempt-looking after emerging from a room with Hakuba..." He coughed delicately. "He, out of nowhere, suddenly threw a fish in my face. It caught me off guard. Rumors saying..._otherwise_ aren't true."

If it was possible, Shinichi turned an even deeper shade of scarlet. "No, it's not that."

"Then what is it?" said Kaito curiously.

Shinichi fumbled with his shirt collar, looking extremely embarrassed. "First, let me just say that I'm only reading it because it was so strange that I couldn't stop. There's no other reasons behind it. I swear. Just...shock value."

"Okay," said Kaito, raising an eyebrow. "Now out with it."

The detective took a deep breath, and pointedly looked away from Kaito's face. "Have you...have you ever heard of fanfiction?"

Kaito blanched. "You didn't - "

"I did," said Shinichi, his throat tight. "Sonoko - she sent me something she'd found, trying to tease me, I suppose, and when I started reading it..." He buried his face in his hands, looking the epitome of hopelessness. "I can't. I just can't. Take a look for yourself."

A midge afraid, Kaito nervously began reading the small print on the screen.

His eyes widened.

After a minute of strained silence (where Shinichi was turning redder by the second and Kaito struggled not to let Poker Face slip), Kaito said gingerly, "I was unaware my magic could be used in...such _interesting_ ways."

"Roses," said Shinichi weakly. "Do not _ever_ do that trick in front of me after this."

"I was also unaware that one could do the nasty on a hang-glider."

"I'm never watching you fly off on that thing again," said Shinichi, closing his eyes with a pained expression on his face. "I don't understand our fangirls. They're insane."

"Hmm," said Kaito, ignoring him. He glanced at the URL and committed it to memory. He wasn't sure how he was going to use it, but _oh_..."Thank you for showing me this."

Shinichi stared, uncomprehending. "What do you mean?"

It was then that Kaito turned to face Shinichi, a positively evil grin on his face and a mischievous gleam in his eye. Shinichi blanched, recognizing the expression, and cursed himself for being so stupid to show Kaito the slash fiction.

"It's given me a few ideas," said Kaito curtly and sauntered off, laughing when Shinichi made the strangled noise again._  
_

* * *

_**A/N**: There's some good slash there (I'll miss Thamiris forever D;) and some weird slash there. I recall glancing (on accident, I swear) over a fanfic in which twin violinists were doing something rather interesting with their bows, and another where - I kid you not - Kaito made some flowers pop up in very odd places. When I read that, I was horrified, but then I was thinking that if Gosho read that, he'd be even more horrified. And then my thoughts drifted, and I wondered what Kaito and Shinichi would react like if they read a fanfic in which they were a slash pairing. XD Shinichi would be freaked, and Kaito would use it as torment. 8D_


	2. The Incident of the Poker Face

**Fandom:** Detective Conan/Case Closed

**Disclaimer:** They belong to Gosho Aoyama. I wish they were mine. o.o

**Story** **Title:** Collective Moments

**Notes: **Wikipedia is my god.

**Chapter Title: **The Incident of the Poker Face

**Chapter Summary: **Shinichi needs to know something about Kaito's poker face. He gets an odd answer in return.

**Chapter Quote: **"It's not like your personality to choose such a terrifyingly blank face."

* * *

"Kuroba," said Shinichi, looking quite serious. "I have...a question."

Kaito looked up from his morning cup of coffee, his hair even more unkempt than usual and his pajamas quite wrinkled from sleep. On the table between them lay a pile of cards and a potato chips in substitute for poker chips. Kaito, judging by his enormous pile, was beating Shinichi badly at the game. "Go ahead."

"Your poker face."

"Mmm-hmm." Kaito took another long sip.

"It's rather strange." Shinichi frowned at him. "I realize that I can manage an okay poker face myself, though you always catch little changes in mannerisms that I have yet to figure out are," he said, with a dignified huff. "But you - you turn into a completely blank slate, not frowning nor happy nor pensive. You're perfectly unreadable."

"Kudo," said Kaito exasperatedly (though feeling quite flattered inside), "is there a point you're driving at?"

"It takes a lot of practice to get such a poker face like that. I chose a serious face because apparently I look like that all the time on cases. Sonoko looks excited, because that's the way she normally is. But you...and I must wonder..." Shinichi faltered a little, but cleared his throat and went on. "It's not like your personality to choose such a terrifyingly blank face. And I'm wondering if...if..." He flushed. "...you know, if there's anything in your past that might have caused you to put on - put on such an expression often?" he said, earnest concern seeping into his voice.

Kaito struggled not to laugh at Shinichi's faintly troubled expression, good intentions as the question was. Oh dear. The poor detective would be a bit disappointed soon. Kaito delicately set his cup of coffee down, choosing his words. "If you must know," he said in careful tones, "it's because of my monocle."

Shinichi blanched, a perplexed expression on his face. "Your...monocle?"

"Yes," continued Kaito, determinedly avoiding Shinichi's piercing gaze. "I had a lot of trouble with it at the beginning of my heists."

"I don't see a connection with this and your poker face."

Kaito sighed. "It has nothing to do with a tragic past, Kudo. The truth is - every time I raised my eyebrows, or looked faintly surprised or even frowned...the monocle would fall off. So I had to adopt a blank stare to prevent that incident ever happening."

"That's _it_?"

"Yes," said Kaito, and quickly began drinking from his mug to prevent further awkward questioning.

Shinichi stared at him for a few seconds, visibly flushing at the absurdly simple and absurdly absurd explanation, before he got up.

"Where are you doing?" asked Kaito nervously.

"Looking for the blender," said Shinichi in monotone.

"For what?"

"To stick my head into it."

* * *

_**A/N**: For a while, I thought he used glue or something. Then I went to Wikipedia, and found an amusing picture of Chamberlain with - really - a simple clear lens practically stuck over his eye. It's really that simple. But I found an old monocle of my grandfather's, tried it on, and it didn't quite work. I suppose it's because of my Asian features, which would still put into question how the hell Kaito manages. XD The mystery of the monocle bothered me every time I saw his badassery!_

_**EDIT A/N**: Okay, stop heckling me! XD I know that Kaito has a nose-clippy thing (which incidentally must be quite painful), but I needed the crack for this situation, and the picture on Wikipedia cracked me up too much. Really, it's as if he simply pushed the lens into his face and...left it there. XD_


	3. The Dangerous Meatball

**Fandom:** Detective Conan/Case Closed

**Disclaimer:** They belong to Gosho Aoyama. I wish they were mine. o.o

**Story** **Title:** Collective Moments

**Notes: **I almost feel sorry for him. Also, thank Buddha for crackass plunnies.

**Chapter Title: **The Dangerous Meatball

**Chapter Summary: **Kaito would regret this for the rest of his life.

**Chapter Quote: **He lay prone on the cold ground, rivulets of sweat running down his white forehead.

* * *

Kuroba Kaito was dying.

He lay prone on the cold ground, rivulets of sweat running down his white forehead. His eyes were half-lidded and dim from the pain that ravaged through him and burned his blood; his pale, bluish lips trembled from the endless torment that seared his body. The room slid in and out of focus as waves of unbearable heat overtook him, and the edges of his vision were slowly turning black. He struggled to breathe as an invisible force crushed the air out of him. He closed his eyes, his fingers shaking and cold. He could not hold out much longer -

"Oh," snapped Aoko irratably, pointing a dish-scrubber at him, "come _off_ it already."

Kaito snapped out of his melodramatic stupor and glared at his wife from the corner of his eye. "But it's your fault!"

"_My_ fault?" said Aoko, looking (despite herself) somewhat triumphant. "Who was it that flipped my skirt after I told him not to for the fiftieth time?"

Kaito whimpered helplessly and turned over on the ground. "But you didn't have to do this to me!"

"You fully deserved it," said Aoko with a sniff, and continued washing the dishes as Kaito writhed and moaned with pain on the ground, clutching his stomach.

Now, what was it that Aoko had done in vengeance for the skirt-flipping?

After she had glared at him with icy silence a few hours earlier, she walked away with a huff from her ever-perverted husband to go make dinner. Kaito had been mildly surprised at the lack of punch-throwing and mop-jabbing, but had shrugged it off as he decided to go work on a few magic tricks for his newest show (and secretly, for his beloved Taskforce to grimace upon). The practice was a little more strenuous than he had previously thought it would be, and when he returned from his studio, he had been thoroughly starved. Aoko had, just then, been setting out the plates for dinner.

"What's to eat?" he had said hopefully, forgetting that she was still possibly angry at him.

"Spaghetti and meatballs," she had answered innocently enough, giving him a doe-eyed look.

Then he had dug cheerily into his meal, finishing nearly four platefulls of the stuff. And through the entire dinnertime, Aoko had a strange expression on her face. She'd watch him eat and then her hand would fly up to her mouth, almost as if she were struggling not to laugh. A faint bit of irritation dug at Kaito; certainly, he didn't look _that_ silly when he was eating. And his was hungry, dammit!

"These meatballs are good," he had admitted at the end of the meal, leaning back in his chair. "What did you put in them?"

"Oh, the usual," Aoko had chirped, taking a sip of water. "Chicken, garlic, parsley, and..." She paused, and Kaito was alarmed to see that a manically evil gleam was growing in her eye.

"Aoko?" he had said nervously. "What else was in there?"

She had smiled at him cruelly, savoring the growing apprehension on her husband's face. "...I added some ground fish."

* * *

_**A/N**: This popped into my head when I was watching Iron Chef, I believe, and somebody mixed ground chicken together with ground fish to make some meatball of pwn. Kaito, of course, immediately popped into my head. I HAD TO WRITE THIS! DAMN PLUNNIE! XD Also, evil!Aoko is beyond awesome._

_

* * *

_

**Omake**

Aoko merrily set the dishes to dry, watching Kaito shudder from the corner of her eye. The truth was, she thought with an quietly evil laugh, she had never put any fish into the meatballs at all.

From the living room, Kaito let out a pained groan and continued writhing in agony.


	4. The Horror of Anime

**Fandom:** Detective Conan/Case Closed

**Disclaimer:** They belong to Gosho Aoyama. I wish they were mine. o.o

**Story** **Title:** Collective Moments

**Notes: **Wikipedia is _still_ my god. And Google is co-god.

**Chapter Title: **The Horror of Anime

**Chapter Summary: **Shinichi, Ran, Heiji, and Kaito discover something terrifying. Kaito shrugs it off, as usual.

**Chapter Quote: **"Dunno what you guys are complaining about. It doesn't seem that bad."

* * *

Heiji visibly winced, though his eyes stayed transfixed to the television screen.

"It's a horror, isn't it?" said Shinichi dryly, lounging back on the couch. It had originally been a lazy Sunday with the four hanging out at Shinichi's house, but suddenly things had morphed when the Great Detective of the East remembered something he'd found a few days earlier. "I knew you would love it."

"This is ridiculous," sputtered Heiji, blanching as the television show went on. "Why the hell did the American dubs give me a _Southern accent_? And also - Harley? What kind of effed-up name is _Harley_? I'm not a motorcycle! And I'm not some American hick!" He slumped in his chair, ego visibly deflating as he brought a shaky hand to his forehead. "This is terrible. And you only got away with a really pointy face and the name "Jimmy", which isn't even all that bad."

"Are _you_ stuck in a little kid's tuxedo-ed body holding up an unusually large head, shooting tranquilizer darts into random people at will?" said Shinichi pointedly.

"Well...no..."

Ran wasn't happy either as she watched the episode of Detective Conan continue. "I have a _triangle_ on my head," she said sullenly.

"Yeah, what the hell is up with that?" agreed Heiji.

"But "Rachel" is a pretty name," said Shinichi, trying his best to ignore Ran's blush. "Got lucky there."

Kaito was peeping at the scene from behind Shinichi's couch, a bag of crisps in one hand. "Dunno what you guys are complaining about. It doesn't seem that bad."

"Hello?" protested Shinichi. "I know you got away with a lot - you don't even look half bad in the anime - but have you seen your 1412 costume? You look like an effing pimp! Minus the cane!"

"Hey," said Kaito sternly, pointing the can of crisps of Shinichi. "I like my pimpsuit. Those adoring fangirls like it too. And don't say I look stupid in animeworld, because in some parts of fanficland..." He gently patted Shinichi's stomach, a malicious gleam in his eye, "you're carrying my child."

Kaito walked back into the kitchen to raid out more food as the others stared in horror from the thief, to the detective, and back.

"Is this...true?" said Heiji in hushed tones, his eyes wide.

Shinichi visibly flushed, burying his face in his hands. "I - I don't like to talk about it."

"Oh god," moaned Ran, and collapsed in a chair, looking quite faint. "That would imply that - "

From behind the kitchen counter, Kaito shouted cheerily, "If it's a boy, we're naming him Arsene!"

* * *

_**A/N**: SOUTHERN PRIDE! I'm a Texas girl through and through. XD_

_But seriously. Harley? I read this in the Wiki and it started this all. Also, I do not want to read another fanfic in which there is KaiShin mpreg. That kid is going to have some issues with schizophrenia. 8D To steal, or not to steal? _


	5. Having a Baby

**Fandom:** Detective Conan/Case Closed

**Disclaimer:** They belong to Gosho Aoyama. I wish they were mine. o.o

**Story** **Title:** Collective Moments

**Notes: **I feel faintly sorry for Shinichi. Just faintly. 8D

**Chapter Title: **Having a Baby

**Chapter Summary: **Kaito has an exciting announcement to make to Shinichi. Hakuba has an issue with it.

**Chapter Quote: **"For some inexplicable reason, I'm not as excited with your good news as I was a minute ago."

* * *

_**A/N:** Just to clarify, in some places where English is spake, "We're pregnant" is an acceptable phrase to announce the coming of a baby (I nearly wrote "the Lord" there. Thank goodness I caught that. It would have made for a very odd typo.)._

* * *

Kaito burst into the room, his face ecstatic with joy. His clothes were wrinkled and untidy and his hair was even messier than normal. The magician ran a self-conscious hand over the black spikes. "I just went - talked, I mean, to her. Aoko," clarified Kaito, breathless and looking exhausted from what must have been a long run. "She - she's at home, and -" The words tumbled nonsensically out of his mouth, and he stopped to regain his composure, leaning against the wall.

Shinichi looked at him in surprise, his feet propped comfortably on his office desk. He had been working on a case that Ran had brought to him a day earlier about a missing person. "Calm down, Kuroba. What happened?" said Shinichi curiously, setting the file down.

Kaito swallowed visibly and adjusted his shirt collar, half of which had popped up in his running. "You know how we've been trying to get a baby for a while, right?"

"Yeah?" said Shinichi eagerly.

Kaito took a deep breath, grinning widely. "Well, now - we're pregnant!" he burst out excitedly, a pink flush beginning to tinge on his face.

There was a moment of silence as Shinichi fully processed this surprising news, and his eyes grew round. "I - _wow_!" Shinichi jumped up, beaming, and gave Kaito a tight hug. "Congratulations!" he exclaimed cheerily, patting Kaito on the back. "How's Aoko?"

Kaito stood still, surprised by the sudden display of affection from the normally stoic detective. But then he grinned and hugged Kudo back, basking in the excitement. "She's really happy. This morning she nearly attacked me when she found out," he added dryly, gingerly touching a bruise on the back of his head. He had sleepily walked into the bathroom, getting ready to brush his teeth, when he heard Aoko scream and then lunge herself at him. His head had then duly connected with the wall, and Aoko had to wait until he was somewhat coherent past the pain to tell him that they were pregnant.

"And then?"

"Then she got a little worried," said Kaito, looking embarrassed. "About how much the baby would turn out like me."

Shinichi snorted. "I don't blame her."

"Hey!" protested Kaito, and punched Shinichi in the arm, though he was still grinning excitedly. "I can't wait to teach my kid card tricks. And how to pull roses out of thin air," he added, doing just that and pinning it into Shinichi's buttonhole. "Don't care of it's a boy or a girl. But my kid's going to be a Kuroba through and _through_. No way is he - she - _it_ going to follow in Aoko's footsteps and join the police force," he said determinedly, a happy gleam in his eye.

Shinichi pulled the rose out of his buttonhole. "For some inexplicable reason," he said dryly, "I'm not as excited with your good news as I was a minute ago."

"Good news?" said somebody.

It was Hakuba.

He was standing in the doorway, holding his time-log notebook and looking faintly perplexed. "Kuroba," he said evenly, "whatever are you doing here?"

"Never mind that," said Kaito curiously. "What are _you_ doing here? Go back to England!"

Hakuba, genteel as ever, ignored the last sentiment. "Kudo-san hasn't informed you?" he said, raising an eyebrow as Shinichi shrugged helplessly. "We are working on a missing-persons case, and the missing person in question happens to be a British politician in Tokyo. The police force _back in England_" - said Hakuba testily, shooting a quick glare at Kaito - "thought it would be a good idea for me to come here and help. And now, Kuroba-san. To what do I owe this lovely meeting?"

Kaito, who had looked somewhat affronted a few seconds earlier, began to blubber excitedly again. "I just came over to announce some wonderful news," he said, nearly bouncing up and down.

"You're being arrested?" said Hakuba with keen interest.

"No, not that," dismissed Kaito.

Suddenly - just somehow - Shinichi knew what was going to happen, and he blanched. "It's about Ao-" he began to explain, but was immediately cut off.

Kaito opened his mouth and cheerily announced, "We're pregnant!"

Hakuba blinked, the papers in his notebook sliding to the floor. He stared at Kaito, then at Shinichi, and finally at the rose that Shinichi had unfortunately forgotten to let go of. Then the Brit gingerly coughed and discreetly averted his eyes as he carefully arranged his tie. In deliberately light tones, he said, "And is it you or Shinichi, pray tell, that is carrying the baby?"

Shinichi buried his face into his hands.

Kaito didn't miss a beat, and took it in stride. "I'm still for the name "Arsene"," he said cheekily.

The two mentally abused detectives groaned and walked out of the door.

* * *

_**A/N**: This is the closest I will ever get to mpreg, unless someone sends me a nice package of crack. 8D Thanks for reading! Hate to sound like a comment whore, but reviews are truly awesome to have. XD  
_


	6. Costume

**Fandom:** Detective Conan/Case Closed

**Disclaimer:** They belong to Gosho Aoyama. I wish they were mine. o.o

**Story** **Title:** Collective Moments

**Notes: **Really, I don't know where this came from at all.

**Chapter Title: **Costume

**Chapter Summary: **Aoko discovers something extremely odd in Kaito's closet.

**Chapter Quote: **"Aoko, you know I need disguises if I'm going to be Kaitou Kid."

* * *

When Aoko had married Kaito, she knew that it would take some time before she would get used to all his..._quirks_.

There was the customary irritation of having the toilet seat up, or seeing newspapers strewn over the couches. She'd expected this, since all men seemed to have a secret pact in which they tried to make more housework for their ever-suffering wives. She'd also expected a few more strange things from her husband, considering that he was a Kuroba, an insufferable git, a big-headed magician, an international thief (he'd gotten the mop-beating of his life when he confessed to that), a cheeky pervert, and -

Ahem.

So she'd been surprised when on their wedding night, Kaito had suddenly stopped kissing her, and out of nowhere (quite literally - he was only wearing his boxers), pulled out a bunch of roses, and nonchalantly tossed them aside. "Didn't know they were there," he had said with a sheepish shrug. Aoko had also been fairly startled when she was folding laundry, and one of Kaito's handkerchiefs seemed to be tied to a thousand other exuberantly coloured ones when she pulled it out of the basket. There had also been the time when she had lost her pen behind a desk, and in her search discovered a very detailed document on how to sneak into police headquarters in Tokyo. Kaito had his fair share of surprises for his wife.

But none of this compared to what Aoko had found in Kaito's closet.

"Kaito," she called.

"I'm in the studio," her husband shouted back. "I can't get this magic trick to work, and I can't move until I finish, so... Is there a problem?"

"I - I don't know."

"What do you mean?"

"I found something in your closet."

There was a strained pause, and Aoko thought she heard something made of glass break in the next room. "Aoko, you know I need disguises if I'm going to be Kaitou Kid."

"Yes, but..."

"If it's the pirate suit, I had to use that to sneak on a television set when they were filming a documentary about the history of water navigation. There's a fake beard attached to the belt, if you look."

"It's not that," said Aoko, looking more pale by the second. She couldn't stop staring at the garment, trying to imagine a situation where her husband might even have needed the slightest chance to use it. A few things came up, but they were decidedly so absurd that even Kaito wouldn't have gone through with it.

"Is it the schoolgirl outfit? I had to disguise as a politician's daughter once so I could find a jewel that he hid in her room. And yeah, those are fake boobs in there too. In all honestly, that girl was a D-cup and I'm sort of flat, if you haven't noticed." There seemed to be another crash, which was big enough so that Aoko could feel the vibrations through her bare feet.

"Still not it," she said.

Kaito loudly groaned. "Don't tell me you found the leather-pants ensemble." There was a bang and something splashed to the floor. "It's not what you think, I swear. I only had to use it once to pretend to be a model in a show where they were displaying leather. It was terrible. Getting the pants on, I mean. You have no idea how much powder I had to use, and they were _tight_."

"No," said Aoko, her voice wavering. Behind her, there seemed to be a small explosion and Kaito burst through the door, dripping heavily with water. Aoko allowed herself a quick glance over his admittedly (though she vehemently denied it to him, as there was no reason to further stroke his ego) nice, wet body, and quickly diverted her attention back to the garment hanging in her husband's closet.

"It's _that_," she said, and pointed.

Kaito, who had been smiling expectantly, fairly paled when he saw what Aoko had put into question.

It was lingerie.

The set was trimmed with soft pink lace, the fabric filmy and decidedly transparent. A few small silk rosettes were sewn into the satin straps, and there was no way the panties could in any way completely cover all of the nether regions.

There was an extremely uncomfortable pause.

"Well," began Kaito, his voice tremulous as he forced certain parts of his (very wet) body to behave, "I actually got that with the intention of seeing _you_ in it."

A few miles away, Shinichi looked up from his documents, looking perplexed. He turned to Ran and said in a confused voice, "Did you hear somebody scream?"


	7. Encounters in the Dark: Line of Fire

**Fandom:** Detective Conan/Case Closed/Magic Kaitou

**Disclaimer:** They belong to Gosho Aoyama. I wish they were mine. o.o

**Story** **Title:** Collective Moments

**Notes:** More to come!

**Chapter Title: **Encounters in the Dark: Line of Fire

**Chapter Summary: **On a heist, Kaito gets caught in a shooting, and he accidentally puts Aoko in the line of fire.

**Chapter Quote: **There was no telling how far his opponent would go to get their hands on the jewel.

* * *

The night was taking over the sky. With the rise of the moon there would be the rise of a thief - a phantom cloaked in white, face obscured by the glint of a monocle.

Kuroba Kaito, disguised as a policeman, leaned against the wall and forced himself to slow his breathing. It would do no good if a member of the taskforce went up to him and asked why he was gasping for air. He'd just come running down the museum stairs, deftly escaping the notice of the jewel's guards, and now had to pretend that he'd been idly strolling the hallways for the past half-hour. He closed his eyes and willed his loudly throbbing heart to quiet down.

The jewel was swathed in a silk handkerchief, tucked safely away in his belt pouch. Nobody knew that the quarry had already been taken - at least, thought Kaito anxiously, his opponent didn't know. Two calling cards had been sent out for the same token, to be stolen on the same night. Kaito Kid had sent one of them. An unknown gang of thieves had been the other.

Kaito hadn't particularly worried that his opponent (likely amateurs) would steal the jewel before he did. What he was worrying about was the fact that they had guns, loaded with a fair amount of bullets. He could only shoot thin sheets of metal, and useful as they were, they were no match against speeding metal slugs. He had to be careful. There was no telling how far his opponent would go to get their hands on the jewel.

"Tonoyama," Nakamori-keibu suddenly barked, noticing that one of his police was leaning against the wall, "stand alert!"

"Sorry!" said Kaito, jumping up. He sheepishly brushed off his coat and began to slowly patrol his section of the hall.

Nakamori-keibu was in a foul mood. He'd had to double the amount of his men, and was not only on the lookout for his beloved Kaitou Kid, but also for some strange gang of thieves. Not only that, but...Kaito's eyes wandered over to the window by the museum entrance. Through the faded glass he could see the dim outline of a car, and standing beside the car, looking quite cross, was Aoko.

Kaito remembered that she'd insisted at school that she'd appear at the heist to support her dad, despite the worries of her friends that she might get injured if a chase happened to occur. "Nonsense," she had shrugged. "There's been chases before, but nothing bad has ever happened to me. And besides, there are police everywhere. I'll be safe."

But Kaito wasn't so sure.

He glanced at his watch. It was time. Making an embarrassed excuse to the hall watchman, he slipped into the bathroom and changed out of his disguise, draping a dark cloth over his shoulders before he carefully edged open the window. He'd chosen this bathroom specifically because it faced away from the glow of the moon, and was situated near an area with tight roads and few policemen to patrol. With the addition of the dark cloth, he was invisible until he wanted to be.

A rope hung in front of him (thank goodness for Jii-san, he thought privately), and he carefully climbed up towards the main gallery. There would be six guards there, he remembered, though they were all definitely asleep from all the gas he'd put in there earlier. The roof, he thought mournfully, was unsuitable for this heist due to the enormous amount of policemen Nakamori-san had placed there in preparation.

Kaito slipped over the balcony and quickly opened the doors, stepping inside. It didn't matter if the policemen outside saw him now; he was already in and safe. Sighing with relief, he took off the black cape and tossed it aside.

"So you've finally decided to appear, Kaitou Kid," said a voice from the shadows.

Alarmed, the thief whipped around, and stared into the barrel of a gun. His body went cold and his heart began to race again as the man holding the gun smiled triumphantly, a manic gleam in his eye.

"Hardly a cordial greeting," said Kaito evenly, rapidly slipping behind the mask of Poker Face. Dammit, he though furiously, there was no way that he could reach his smoke bombs in time, and it didn't seem like it'd help that much anyway with the point-blank range. He was trapped. "Couldn't we collaborate?"

"You're not in a position for that," said the man, his voice low and dangerously soft. "Give us the jewel."

Kaito struggled, trying to understand. He didn't know who these people were, but they were obviously intelligent enough to discover where he'd make his dramatic exit. However, they hadn't been intelligent enough to steal the jewel before he did. Kaito bit his tongue, thinking quickly. Or perhaps they had simply let him steal it for them.

"If you'll give me one moment," said Kaito, slowly reaching toward his breast pocket.

The man cocked the gun, glaring coldly. "If you're pulling something on us, you're dead."

"It's hardly worth my life just to get this simple trinket," said Kaito in careful tones, glancing at the window across from them. A thin ray of moonlight was spilling into the gallery room. Perhaps it was enough for him to quickly test it.

The man saw him divert attention, and rapidly fired a round at the window. The glass violently exploded, and shouts of shock could be heard from below. Kaito jerked with surprise, not expecting such a display of impatience. "Come, now," the man said angrily. "Give it up."

Hand barely trembling, Kaito pulled out his handkerchief, and showing the man that he hadn't grabbed anything else, he slowly opened the silk cloth. The jewel glistened in his palm, but nothing happened. He felt himself nearly sigh with relief, a strange feeling at a lack of reaction. If it was Pandora, he would have had to escape with it, heavily risking his life. But here, the gem only shone in the dim light.

The man snatched the jewel from Kaito's hands. "Perfect," he said, and tilted the gun upwards, towards the ceiling. A symbol to go.

But it was a advantage, nonetheless, and Kaito immediately exploded a smoke bomb and a flash bomb in the man's face before he quickly dashed toward the window, leaving the screaming and sputtering man behind him. People began to scream below at the appearance of Kid, and out of the corner of his eye, Kaito saw Aoko staring up at him as he pulled out his hang-glider and jumped to safety.

Safety, as it was, for only a few seconds.

As the cool air blew around his suit, Kaito heard more shrieks below him, and saw the police cocking their guns. Confused, Kaito swerved at an angle. What were they aiming at...?

With a sickening jolt, however, he realized what had happened, and turned around. The man was standing at the broken window, blindly aiming his gun towards Kaito's direction, shooting to kill.

"Shit!" cursed Kaito, swerving at an angle when a bullet flew past him. It hit the tire of a car, and there was a small explosion as the tire blew out. The people below began to scream and panic, and Kaito anxiously looked for Aoko. When he found her, standing frozen with shock by the museum entrance, their eyes, wide and terrified, met for a fleeting second before she screamed and ducked. The glass behind where her head had been seconds earlier exploded with the force of another gunshot, and Kaito quickly twisted his hanglider up and away from her.

As he flew to safety, he felt something horrible clawing inside of him. He had put Aoko in danger. In his panic, he had flown right into an area where she would be in the line of fire. Stupidity and worry were a dangerous combination, and Kaito felt sick inside, his head throbbing with dizziness at the sounds of explosions that were no longer there. He shuddered, and dipped behind the shadow of a building, feeling furious with himself.

He had nearly _killed_ her. If she hadn't seen the man aiming again, she might not have ducked, and...Kaito tried to stop thinking, but the image of what might have happened burst into his mind. Nauseous, he closed his eyes for a second and tried to steel himself, but the smell of blood and the sight of a corpse would not leave him. He bit back the bile that threatened to come up his throat. If anything happened to her...

...and nothing had happened, he tried to remind himself, except for a few minutes of agonizing, raw fear. She hadn't been killed. Despite his mistake, she hadn't even been injured.

But she's not fine, he reminded himself, the guilt making him sick. And it's my fault.

* * *

_**A/N:** First part of the Encounters in the Dark series. There is more to come on here, and loads of Kaito x Aoko to follow. I wish Gosho would elaborate a little more on MK._


	8. A Friend in Need

**Fandom:** Detective Conan/Case Closed/Magic Kaitou

**Disclaimer:** They belong to Gosho Aoyama. I wish they were mine. o.o

**Story** **Title:** Collective Moments

**Notes:** I reference Planetarium to this one, but it's not necessary for you to read Planetarium to understand this story here. However, this story does somewhat explain why at the end of Planetarium, Kaito decided to open up.

**Chapter Title: **A Friend in Need

**Chapter Summary: **So what exactly happened between Kaito and Hakuba in the locked storage room from chapter one?

**Chapter Quote: **"What in God's bloody name is holding you back from confessing?"

* * *

It was not the most savory of situations, mused Hakuba tiredly, but he had certainly seen worse.

Dejected, he slid down the wall and collapsed most unceremoniously onto the hard, cold concrete. The locked storage room had a single lightbulb, the weakest glow emitting from it. He could see nothing, and his temporary prison might as well have been completely black. The police were still on the ground floor, unaware of what had transpired, since Hakuba had taken it upon himself to search for the man himself. He'd been correct in his deduction that the storage room was a good place to go, but his triumph had drastically gone downhill.

He sighed, trying to listen for footsteps, but there were none. The police were dumbly waiting for a thief that Hakuba knew would not arrive. And he had good reason to believe so.

"Well," said Kaitou Kid lightly, "_this_ was somewhat unexpected."

"You don't say," muttered Hakuba sardonically, a hint of bitterness edging into his voice. He glared at the shadows before him. "And please don't do that echoing trick with your voice. It's quite disturbing that you sound as if you're everywhere at once."

"It's not like I'm stupid enough to reveal my location to you," said Kaito, his voice bouncing cheerily off the walls.

Hakuba groaned and rubbed the bridge of his nose in exasperation. "You dolt. I know exactly where you are - locked in this infernal room with me."

There was a strained pause as Kaito digested this excrutiatingly obvious observation.

"True," admitted Kaito after a moment, though he still used that maddening trick with his voice. "But if you happened to know precisely where I was, there's no telling what you would do to me."

Hakuba sniffed, summoning up the last vestiges of English pride he had left in this awkward situation. "Contrary to what your fangirls write in their silly gossip columns (and good heavens, their _imaginations!_), I am _not_ madly in love with you."

"Ah - that is what we call "denial"."

The detective wilted somewhat under Kaito's obstinancy, and felt eternally grateful that there was not enough light for Kid to see him slump. "I will, tentatively, admit to being vaguely interested in your matters," he said grudgingly, "though my interest does not expand into love."

"But it obviously expands into obsession," said Kaito, and Hakuba could hear the taunt.

Pah. He would rattle the thief just as the thief had rattled him, then. "Possibly so, Kaito."

"Kaito? Why aren't you calling me "Kid"?"

Hakuba sighed. "I'm not addressing you as a thief anymore. I'm addressing you as a..." _Friend._ Hakuba paused, startled by the word he had nearly uttered. True, they would taunt each other occasionally during high school or in other venues, but never had he felt some particular bond with the egotistical magician. Well, maybe there had been moments, like when Kaito appeared once at school much injured from a heist gone wrong, and Hakuba covered for him. Either way, Hakuba didn't _think_ that they were friends. It was a strange possiblity. So why had he almost...? He cleared his throat, ridding himself of the odd slip. "As a concerned third party on behalf of Miss Nakamori," Hakuba continued.

There was yet another silence, but this one was heavier. "Well," said Kaito eventually (and Hakuba noted that he had stopped the echoing trick), "I never did delude myself that you didn't know who I was, but that was rather sudden of you."

"My dear Kuroba, you are most tactlessly dodging the subject. As I said - Miss Nakamori. Either she is an exceptional actress and you have an exceptionally high pain threshold what with the mop beatings, or she still is in the dark about your midnight excursions."

"I would prefer not to tell her," said Kaito in deliberately light tones.

"I am not a fool, though you seem to insist on taking me as one," said Hakuba, pulling himself up. "I know that during the years of high school, you were on the lookout for a particular jewel. You would return the ones that seemed to not please you, and only ever kept one - the Glory Blue, stolen six years ago. Since then, you have still gone out on heists, but not as often, and I know that your goal has already been achieved." Hakuba took a breath. "You have found what you wanted, and the role of Kid has no necessity anymore."

Kaito clapped in the darkness. "Bravo, Hakuba. Please continue."

"I realize you had good reason before to not reveal your secret to her, but now you should no longer fear getting caught since your goal has already been achieved. There is nothing wrong in telling her, since she can not incriminate you with a confession without recordings or other witnessess anyway."

They sat in silence for a while, before Kaito sighed quietly. To Hakuba's utter surprise, the man sounded completely torn apart. A bit of discomfort began to dig at him. He hadn't meant to greatly disturb Kaito, but it seemed he'd shaken a few more things than he had previously intended. "It's odd, you know," said Kaito, his voice softening. "I asked another person of similar things a few months ago."

Hakuba raised his eyebrow. "Somebody else knows of your thievery?"

"A certain egotistical, haughty, infinitely annoying someone else. He reminds me of you sometimes."

"Well, I hope he knocked some sense into you. I'm more concerned about Miss Nakamori, however. I understand that your relations of late have been somewhat changing?"

Hakuba could almost feel the thief bristle. "She's my girlfriend, yes."

"Still skilled with a mop?"

"Very much, as my battered body can attest to."

"Still hateful of Kaito Kid?"

"That as well."

"Still completely enamored with you?"

"I - er. Well. She says - ah. You see, we - _anyway_," said Kaito in flustered tones, "what the hell are you driving at?"

"Why are you so afraid of telling her? Being Kid's a huge part of your life. Risking capture to get to your goal - whatever it was, it was important to you, and thus your means of getting to it would obviously be important as well. Kid's definitely a part of you, though you may think that the thief and the magician are separate."

"And?"

Hakuba restrained himself from snatching the edge of Kaito's top hat, barely visible under the lightbulb's meager glow, and beating its owner with it. "What in God's bloody name is holding you back from confessing?"

"You accuse _me_ of being dense?" said Kaito angrily. "She'll never speak to me again! It's suicide!"

"I find you in the capacity for exaggerating," said Hakuba in an intentionally bored voice. The more he riled the idiot up, the better. It would sit on his mind for a longer time, and he might even be compelled to do something about it. "You are hiding half your life from her. You are hiding a driving force of your actions, and something dear you hold to your heart." He waved his hand dismissively, though he knew Kaito could not see the gesture. "Do not try to protect one precious thing from another, for you will find that you might lose them both."

"That made no effing sense at all."

"Think about it. I believe it would be in your best interests to be completely honest and confess. Why would she hate you? You never have put her in mortal danger as Kid. The only reason she dislikes your phantom persona is because you take her father away from her."

"That's a really big reason," said Kaito pointedly, sounding distinctly uncomfortable. Hakuba could hear him pacing slowly in the dark, his footfalls softly treading the cold concrete.

"I'm sure you, too, have an excellent reason for cavorting around in the dark. Stupid as you are at times..." Hakuba sighed for what seemed like the hundredth time that night. "I know your madness always has a method, and a good one at that."

"I never expected to hear that from you."

"And I'm fully aware, Kuroba, that your words may certainly hurt Miss Nakamori. It's absolutely inevitable."

"Then," said Kaito dryly, "why are you suggesting that I confess?"

"Because much as it will hurt her for a short while, she will get over it. And she'll be able to see all sides of you, not just the man who likes to flip skirts and tell bad jokes. Without the knowledge of your midnight excursions, she will have a false idea of who you are. Kaitou Kid is a deeper part of you, something she has not yet known. Without this, she only has a shallow impression. And I will not allow that. Put her in your confidences, Kaito, and I assure you it will be a wise thing to do. The other choice is to have her discover your secret herself, and the realization that you did not trust her with part of your being will be a knife to her heart."

In the moment of silence that engulfed them, in which Hakuba thought momentarily he had made a grave mistake, he felt the atmosphere shift. "Why do you care so much about this?" said Kaito, his voice a bare whisper. "Why should my affairs matter to you?"

Hakuba had been strained with the answer. It was not that he felt any love (platonic, however, he would give a nod to) for Nakamori-san. He genuinely cared for her and tried to make sure she was never in danger whenever she went to a heist, but this was something different. It was between him and Kaito, a detective and a thief. "Because," said Hakuba quietly, "I consider you to be my friend."

"You - wow. Hakuba. Thank you."

All right, thought Hakuba dryly, everything was getting much too maudlin for his taste. As if on cue, he heard footsteps and the shouts of policemen outside. They were trying to force open the door, and they'd get caught soon. "Either way, right now you are Kid and I am Hakuba Saguru. Momentarily, we are enemies."

"Right, then," said Kaito determinedly, and Hakuba could hear the change in his voice. In the darkness, Kaito reached out and grabbed Hakuba by the coat, slipping something inside the detective's coat pocket. "Here's a little gift to you - the jewel I just stole."

"Thank you," said Hakuba briskly, grabbing Kaito firmly by the wrist before he let go. Outside, the banging increased in volume and number, and the tiniest hint of light creaked in through the door as the lock slowly weakened. "I have a little gift for you as well."

"What is it?" said Kaito with suspicion, as something decidedly wet and slippery was slipped into his arms. "It feels like a -"

"Fish," finished Hakuba triumphantly. "_Bon apetit_!"

And with that, the illustrious Phantom Thief Kid was seen bursting out of the door, flailing wildly and looking much flustered from an innocent-eyed red snapper stuck onto his suit.

* * *

_**A/N:** I totally wrote this after reading what seemed like hours of Sherlock Holmes. XD I love Hakuba so much! There should definitely be more of him._

_Incidentally, I could find absolutely nothing regarding whether Hakuba was a first name or a surname. Can somebody kindly help clear the matter?_


	9. The Predicament

**Fandom:** Detective Conan/Case Closed/Magic Kaitou

**Disclaimer:** They belong to Gosho Aoyama. I wish they were mine. o.o

**Story** **Title:** Collective Moments

**Notes:** As much as I love a flustered Shinichi, a flustered Kaito is infinitely more amusing.

**Chapter Title: **The Predicament

**Chapter Summary: **Kaito badly needs Ran's help. She takes one look at him and can't stop laughing. Blackmail involved.

**Chapter Quote: **Kaito hopped uncomfortably into the living room, where Ran had collapsed, shaking with mirth, on the couch.

* * *

When Ran saw Kaito in his predicament, the first thing she did was bolt out of the magician's room and start laughing. Loudly.

"Please, Mouri-san," begged Kaito, his voice faint from across the hall. "I _really_ need your help with this."

Ran clutched her stomach, wheezing. Shinichi had told her everything about Kuroba - his moonlighting as Kaitou Kid, the fact that the idiot still hadn't told his ever-suffering girlfriend, and that his costumes were...a little more than exuberant. This, however, seemed to go completely over the line. When kaito had called her for help, all he was willing to reveal was that he was having a little trouble, and a girl that he could trust (that wasn't Aoko, of course) would be of extremely good help to him.

She hadn't expected _this_, however.

Kaito hopped uncomfortably into the living room, where Ran had collapsed, shaking with mirth, on the couch. A bit of pink tinged his cheeks, and he looked fairly mortified. It wasn't an expression he was used to wearing, and it made him look doubly ridiculous. "I couldn't get Aoko to help me because I'd die before I'd let her see me like this," he said tentatively, shifting a little. "And...and I really trust you, Mouri-san."

"Hold on," said Ran, gasping for air before she collapsed into a fit of laughter again. "I'm sorry, it's just - you could have warned me, at least!"

Kaito wriggled a little too hard, flailed for balance, and collapsed soundly on the floor. "Okay, I admit it's somewhat amusing, but really, Mouri-san." He looked up at his best friend's girlfriend imploringly, his blue eyes growing wide and sorrowful with entreat.

She couldn't resist. He looked almost exactly like Shinichi whenever he did the puppy-dog-eyes trick, and Ran faded into a wide grin as she hopped up. "All right then," she said brightly, wiping tears of laughter from her eyes. "Let's get to it."

* * *

It took nearly a half-hour, but when she was done, everything seemed to be all right. Nothing was particularly out of place, and he looked...well, _good, _she had to admit. Kaito stretched himself quite stiffly (not unreasonably so, considering his predicament), picking at his costume and looking much aggrieved.

"My ass," he moaned, still hopping around. "My _ass_."

"- is safe as long as you don't run too fast," said Ran, stifling her laugh.

"Please don't tell Kudo about this," said Kaito, flushing. He was testing his movement, which was very limited, considering.

"I won't," promised Ran, noting that he had forgotten to make her swear that she wouldn't tell Aoko. Well, too late, she thought evilly. This was too good to pass up.

"Just to be clear," continued Kaito briskly, "I certainly did not choose this."

"Really? I wouldn't have put it behind your ego, Kuroba-san," said Ran dryly.

"Hey!" said Kaito, grinning. "You can hardly call me "Kuroba-san" after all this, can you?"

Ran flushed and rolled her eyes. "It's not like I saw something compromising when I was helping you." But, she thought mischievously, she was seeing something extremely compromising right now. And much as she liked Kaito, she wasn't going to let this opportunity go to waste.

The prankster was about to get a prank pulled on him.

Kaito arranged the various articles slung over his shoulder, trying to give himself a modicum of protection from possible injury later in the heist. He brushed off a bit of residue left on his torso and arms, looking quite pained as he moved around. Luckily, he didn't notice as Ran slipped behind him, stealthily pulled out a camera from her purse, and aimed it carefully at him.

Ran grinned to herself and took a picture. And another. And a few more, from various well-lit angles. She was definitely going to send these to Aoko sometime in the future when those two got married. Ran knew that she was betraying Kaito's trust, but really - this was just too much for her to let it pass by. And these pictures would give Aoko, one of her best friends, something excellent to tease her husband with as revenge for him always teasing her. Ran smiled to herself and took one last picture.

Perfect.

_Ahh_, she thought to herself, feeling endlessly pleased. _It's not every day a girl gets to see Kuroba Kaito, the Phantom Thief, in tight leather pants._

* * *

_**A/N:** If somebody would draw a picture of that, I would have their babies. 8D Or maybe I'll draw a picture myself and post it up somewhere._

_But now, I must wonder, what kind of heist would make him wear those pants? o.o What do you think?_

_**A/N EDIT:** I'm going to be gone for a week, so no updates for a while!_


	10. The Curse of Perpetual Murders

**Fandom:** Detective Conan/Case Closed/Magic Kaitou

**Disclaimer:** They belong to Gosho Aoyama. I wish they were mine. o.o

**Story** **Title:** Collective Moments

**Notes:** This came to me while studying Latin. You'll see why.

**Chapter Title: **The Curse of Perpetual Murders

**Chapter Summary: **Everybody's noticed that dead bodies follow Shinichi. Akako and Hakuba figure out why, and they're surprised by the answer.

**Chapter Quote: **"I mean, people don't just choose to murder when they spot Kudo walking around."

* * *

Akako lifted her hand from Shinichi's head and shook her head, frowning slightly. "I'm sorry, but I don't seem to feel any particular curse from you."

Shinichi stared at the witch for a moment before sighing exasperatedly and leaning back in his chair. Ran, his wife, patted him consolingly on the head. "That's so weird. There's got to be some explanation for people dropping dead of murder all around me."

"Bad luck?" suggested Hakuba, gingerly taking a small sip of tea.

"Possibly," said Akako in a pensive tone, waving her hand dismissively. "I feel a dark aura in this room, but it doesn't seem to be a curse coming from you, Kudo-san."

Shinichi stood up and thanked Akako for her time. "Well, I'm best off now," he said, glancing at his watch. "Got yet another murder to investigate." He left Hakuba's house with a friendly wave, Ran following close behind him.

"There's got to be some explanation," mused Hakuba.

"Hmmm," said Akako.

"I mean, people don't just choose to murder when they spot Kudo walking around."

"Hmmm," said Akako.

"Gosho's all about the logic behind the murder, but I doubt he'd have little enough common sense to make dead people follow Kudo like that."

"_Hmmm_," said Akako. "Actually, I think I know the answer to this mysterious curse."

Hakuba sat upright in his chair, his cup of tea forgotten. "Yes?"

"Please. Think about the names of certain people. Shinichi, for instance. It can be, very loosely, translated as "intelligent one", which of course we all know is true."

"Yes. And Hattori Heiji. His surname comes from a historical head of a police force, and his given name comes from a detective."

"Precisely. Gosho has really good naming sense, if you look at all the other people and the associations of their names. Additionally," Akako pursed her lips, "Gosho has a good command of other languages. He combines these skills when he names people, to produce an account of who they are. Shinichi. Hattori Heiji."

"And?" said Hakuba expectantly.

Akako sighed. "Oh, Hakuba-san. What else follows Kudo-san besides death most of the time?" She set down her teacup. "I'll let you think. I need to make some more tea." She gave him a small bow and left the room.

What else followed Kudo-san? Well...Mori Kogoro, for one. And his daughter, Kudo Ran. Hakuba sighed and settled in his chair. There didn't seem to be much connection...

"Akako!" he called out. "Come out with it, I need to know!"

The witch poked her head through the doorjamb, looking fairly irritated. "Oh, come on. You're English! Surely you'd have an easier time with this than I would?"

Hakuba sniffed and self-righteously adjusted his tie. "We don't all think in circles like you."

"Okay, fine," said Akako, emerging with a new pot of tea. "It's Mori Ran. Her maiden name is of particular interest. Don't you think...?"

It only took this little comment for Hakuba to understand. His eyes went wide. "You don't think-?"

"Oh, but I do, Hakuba." Akako took a sip of tea. "_Mori._" Her eyes twinkled as she clarified, "Latin root, meaning..._"to die"_."

* * *

_**A/N:** I do realize the correct spelling is "Mouri", but I see it translated so often to "Mori" that I decided to let this time slide XD Haha, it's really Ran with the curse! And the one-two-three times that Conan wasn't with her...eh. It was bound to happen anyway 8D_

_Also, I totally swear I'm working on the drabbles, but I'm not used to Satou/Takagi, and I don't remember the scene where Conan grabs Kid. Though, I have an excellent idea for both._


	11. Baby Naming

**Fandom:** Detective Conan/Case Closed/Magic Kaitou

**Disclaimer:** They belong to Gosho Aoyama. I wish they were mine. o.o

**Story** **Title:** Collective Moments

**Notes:** Yet another one of those fics came my way, and I had to write.

**Chapter Title: **Baby Naming

**Chapter Summary: **Ran and Shinichi are shocked by Kaito's suggestion for a baby name.

**Chapter Quote: **"You have your stupid "thinking detective" face on."

* * *

Shinichi reached out and tenderly patted Ran's stomach, which had been steadily growing for the past few months. His wife smiled up at him, pushing her book away. It wasn't often that she got a day at her husband's detective agency to laugh and talk with friends. Kaito and Aoko were in the corner of the room, talking animatedly about a visit to Kyoto.

"What's on your mind?" Ran asked.

"Nothing," said Shinichi, fairly absent.

"Oh, come on," scoffed Ran. "You have your stupid "thinking detective" face on."

Shinichi sniffed. "It's not stupid." Kaito coughed loudly in the distance, and Shinichi threw him a glare.

"Of course, dear," sighed Ran. "Of course it isn't."

"If you must know," said Shinichi self-righteously, "I was thinking about what to name our baby boy."

Ran laughed, and lay a protective hand over her stomach. "I was thinking that Satoshi would be a nice name."

Shinichi shook his head. "I don't like it. How about Hikaru?"

"You know," mused Kaito in the the distance, "a great number of fanfics have you naming your child Conan."

The couple simultaneously began to sputter. "What?" bellowed Shinichi. "Do you know how weird it is to then have to refer to my own kid as _myself_?"

"Kuroba-san," said Ran a little uneasily, "Conan was my husband. He's not going to be my child. There's something very strange about that."

Kaito raised his hands up defensively. "_I_ didn't write the fanfiction!"

"But you had the lack of tact to mention it," said Shinichi, still looking fairly shell-shocked. "That's disgusting, Kuroba." He staggered out the the room, looking quite pale.

Ran watched him go and then sighed to herself. Leave it to Kuroba-san (who really, was good-hearted...sometimes...) to ruin the moment. She mused over her swollen belly before an idea for revenge popped into her mind. She stole a glance at Aoko, who was skimming over some pictures of Kyoto scenery.

Well, thought Ran privately (the hormones were taking ahold), I'll soon be sending her some photos of some entirely different scenery soon enough. And she smiled victoriously to herself as she watched Kaito obliviously continue shuffling brochures, unaware of his pending doom.

* * *

_**A/N:** Them naming their child Conan in fanfic has always heavily bothered me. It seems like the most obvious choice, but think about it a little more and it becomes quite odd. o.o It's not much of a I HATE IT OMIGAH!!11!!1!!eleventy-one!! thing as an extremely mild, yet amused irritation. Oh, and I'm pretty sure ya'll know what Ran's planned version of revenge is, lol._

_Satoshi is from DNAngel (which is so ridiculously cheesy that I'm utterly ashamed to admit that I once liked it XD) and Hikaru is from Ouran Host Club (which is probably even more cheesy, but at least it's the kind of tackiness that knows it's tacky and plays on it)._

_Incidentally, what is a nice Japanese name for a boy? I'm not too familiar with the language, so if you guys could drop a name suggestion, I'll use the one I like best when I write some fic in the future involving Shinichi and Ran's kid. _

_Oooh, and also? I have a terrible, terrible habit of breaking logic walls ._


	12. A Quiet Reassurance

**Fandom:** Detective Conan/Case Closed/Magic Kaitou

**Disclaimer:** They belong to Gosho Aoyama. I wish they were mine. o.o

**Story** **Title:** Collective Moments

**Notes:** I re-read The Water Horse by Thamiris. Somehow, it spawned this.

**Chapter Title: **A Quiet Reassurance

**Chapter Summary: **He leaves again, and I am left to wait for his return once more.

**Chapter Quote: **The night is quiet without him, and the empty house feels as hollow as I do inside.

* * *

He leaves again.

The call of duty is too much for him to resist, as usual. Again, I am left here to watch his fading shadow, and hope that wherever he will go, he will be safe. It's a miracle he hasn't been severely injured - that I know of - considering what he does, and I must rely on this ghost of a hope for him to return.

I never liked waiting - it doesn't suit me. And after he told me the secret of what had happened for the past few years, I vowed to turn my back on him, but I couldn't. There's a bond between us that I couldn't have imagined before, but once everything was in the open, and betrayal felt like a raw, open wound, I felt the pulse of something stronger beneath my skin. And it's because of this pulse that I don't stop him when he leaves. It's because of this pulse that I'm always smiling when he comes back. It's because of this pulse that I can't bring myself to hate him despite everything that's happened.

The night is quiet without him, and the empty house feels as hollow as I do inside.

It's too much to wish, but sometimes I want him to stop. I know he can't - it's his duty, he tells me - he has to avenge his father. Find Pandora, destroy it. It goes against everything I believe in, but I know that it's a job he must finish, and I can't stand in his way. I can't betray his secret to anybody, and the pain of it I bear only with a few others. Still, though, the night is cold and I wish for his company. He will return soon, I know, but I can't stop selfishly wishing, and waiting helplessly alone. I barely have the heart to watch him anymore, to see him again in the white cape and monocle. We were different people whenever we met like that then.

So I carry another image of him. It's the one I keep reminding myself of - a little symbol that he does care at least a little. We're behind a hotel, and Kuroba's fixing up his police disguise. "Good luck,' I say, as he walks down the alley.

He stops and turns to look at me, the moonlight behind him. For a moment he only looks like a dark silhouette, until I catch sight of his blue eyes. He looks guilty, somehow - apologetic, as if he knows that I'll be waiting in the darkness again for him. His figure seems to waver, like he's trying not to step back to me, and I nearly take a step forward before I hold myself back, not wanting to delay him. I'm taken aback by the emotion I see on his face before he carefully slides back into his maddening Poker Face and flashes me a small, sad smile. Something inside me breaks as I see him open his mouth to speak.

"I'll see you later," he says quietly, turning back, "my tantei-kun."

* * *

_**A/N:** Yeah, this was Shinichi POV. I tried to make it sound like Ran POV at the beginning but then shift it to Aoko POV until the very end. ._

_Like with Planetarium (which I just re-read and realized how astoundingly cheesy it was), this can be taken as friendship or romance, though I thought of it more as friendship._

_Reviews are greatly appreciated!_


	13. Mail

**Fandom:** Detective Conan/Case Closed/Magic Kaitou

**Disclaimer:** They belong to Gosho Aoyama. I wish they were mine. o.o

**Story** **Title:** Collective Moments

**Notes:** I just had to.

**Chapter Title: **Mail

**Chapter Summary: **Aoko finds something extremely shocking in the mail. Kaito is concerned, and rightly so.

**Chapter Quote: **His wife had come in the door looking quite red in the face.

* * *

"Aoko," said Kaito concernedly, "what's wrong?"

His wife had come in the door looking quite red in the face. There were the barest glimmers of tears at the corners of her eyes, and her hands trembled as she held a small envelope in her hands. She looked up at her husband, wavering, before tearing herself away from him as he reached out. Her shoulders were visibly shaking now.

Kaito was quite alarmed. Had someone done something to her? A pit of rage began to boil inside him, and he sharply took a breath. He'd kill the bastard. "Aoko?" he said softly.

She looked up at him, and unable to contain herself, burst out laughing and then dashed away to another room. The envelope and its contents fluttered to the floor as their bedroom door slammed loudly, muffling Aoko's cheerful whooping.

Fairly confused now, Kaito stared at the hallway and then at the ground. He snatched up the envelope and its contents, desperate to see what had caused this. As his eyes focused at the things he now held, he paled considerably and nearly fainted cold to the floor. It couldn't be. How did she - ? Who could have - ?

They were photos.

Photos that were quite compromising.

Photos that _weren't_ of him as Kaitou Kid.

Photos of him, half-naked, wearing little else but an obscenely tight pair of leather pants.

* * *

_**A/N:** This is an ending to the leather-pants epic I had going on. Hope you liked. And I absolutely must draw that. It's stuck in my head, holy shiznats.  
_


	14. Encoutners in the Dark: Calling

**Fandom:** Detective Conan/Case Closed/Magic Kaitou

**Disclaimer:** They belong to Gosho Aoyama. I wish they were mine. o.o

**Story** **Title:** Collective Moments

**Notes:** I just had to.

**Chapter Title: **Encounters in the Dark: Calling

**Chapter Summary: **Aoko calls Kaito after nearly being killed at a Kid heist. Second in the series.

**Chapter Quote: **Her fingers still trembled from the shock of the night's events.

* * *

Alone in her room, Aoko picked up her phone and dialed a number. Her fingers still trembled from the shock of the night's events, and her face was pale against the sheets on her bed. Downstairs, she could hear her father pacing heavily around in the kitchen, busy ranting at how badly the chase had gone. Not only had the Phantom Thief escaped capture yet again, but he'd gotten caught in the midst of gunfire as well. Aoko's fingers clenched around the phone, and she shivered.

There was a buzz, and then a click. "Hello?" said Kaito, sounding sleepy.

"It's me," she said quietly.

"Ne, did something happen?" yawned Kaito. "It's too late to be calling."

The bitter sound of shattering glass replayed in Aoko's head, and she closed her eyes in a vain attempt to forget what had happened. But again, she could feel the scrape of shards tearing into her hands and the screams of people nearby as they scrambled to protect themselves. "I - I got shot at an hour ago." Aoko bit her lip. "The person barely missed."

"_What?_" burst Kaito, suddenly extremely awake. Through the phone, Aoko could hear something crash to the ground. "Who did that? What happened? Should I come over? Hold on, let me get ready -"

"No," said Aoko quickly. "I - I'm fine, you don't have -"

"You're not fine," said Kaito firmly. "I'm coming over right now."

"You can't," she said. "My father's not letting anyone in the house, least of all you. Besides, it's past midnight."

There was a strained pause over the phone before Kaito let out a sigh, his breath crackling into the receiver. "If you insist. But really, Aoko - I'll come by tomorrow, okay? But you have to tell me what happened."

She clutched the phone more tightly in her hands. "I was following Dad to Kid's heist, as usual. To support him. Dad, I mean - not Kid."

"That was dangerous."

"Obviously. But Kid doesn't normally get caught up in violence, so I wasn't expecting gunfire. It seems like he was caught by somebody else, and they shot at him."

There was no sound on the other end of the phone except for the faint rustle of breathing. "And the shooter missed, and nearly got you?" said Kaito softly.

"Yeah," whispered Aoko, curling up her body. The sheets were clutched tightly in her hands, damp with sweat. "If I hadn't ducked..."

"Shit," said Kaito. "I don't want to think about that. God. You didn't get injured?"

"I have a few scrapes on my hands. Not much more."

"Aoko," said Kaito quietly, "Kid's been getting wrapped up in some really delicate operations lately. Maybe it'd be best in the future if you didn't...you know, go out on those heists."

"I don't know. I'm scared. But I want to support my dad."

"You can't support him if you're - " Kaito stopped talking, his voice strained. "Please, Aoko. I can't stand the thought of you being in danger like that."

Aoko swallowed. Kaito, most of the time, was cheeky and perverted, flipping random girls' skirts and cracking obscene jokes in class. He was rarely like this, quiet and worried and so - so _open_. It was a rare moment when his mask of cheerfulness slipped and Aoko got to see the other side of her friend underneath. "I - I guess."

"I can't believe it," said Kaito angrily. "Why'd Kid get wrapped up into something stupid like that?"

"It's not his fault, necessarily," said Aoko. "I guess something went wrong, and he needed the police to actually protect him from harm."

"And he exploited them," continued Kaito sharply. "And he nearly got you killed."

Aoko opened her mouth to protest, but she realized that what Kaito was saying was true. And though it felt odd to want to defend Kaitou Kid, the image of the shock in his eyes, the moment when they both saw each other in the dark - she had felt something. A bond, almost, like they were friends. "I doubt he's going to apologize, if that's what you're going after."

"He'd better."

His voice crackled with electricity, and there was a soft beep that came from the phone. Aoko glanced at it. Her cell was running out of power. "Kaito, I have to go. My phone batteries are dying."

"I'm coming over tomorrow," said Kaito firmly. "You're not getting away from that."

Aoko smiled to herself. "Bye."

"Goodnight."

She clicked the phone closed and set it on the table. Outside, the moon had risen high into the night sky, and Aoko faltered a little as she looked at it. Perhaps, she thought quietly, Kaito was by his window too, and they were bathed in the same moonlight, gazing at the same stars. She opened her window, wanting more of the glow.

It was then that she noticed something barely clinging to her windowsill. Confused, she reached over. It was, strangely, a rose. There was a note attached to it, and she tilted it to the moon outside to illuminate the words upon it.

_My apologies._

_-Kaitou Kid_

* * *

_**A/N:** Nyarg. More to come soon - the next stories, hopefully, are Second and The Greatest Enemy. Both are crack. 8D Stay tuned! Reviews are greatly appreciated.  
_


	15. Second

**Fandom:** Detective Conan/Case Closed/Magic Kaitou

**Disclaimer:** They belong to Gosho Aoyama. I wish they were mine. o.o

**Story** **Title:** Collective Moments

**Notes:** I just had to.

**Chapter Title: **Second

**Chapter Summary: **Kaito's son and Shinichi's daughter play together. Ruckus ensues.

**Chapter Quote: **"It's wonderful to know what kind of morals you've been teaching your kid."

* * *

"I feel old," said Kaito mournfully. He was sitting cross-legged at the park grounds, watching the distance.

Beside him, Shinichi looked up from _The Sign of Four_ and sighed, clearly annoyed at having to go out with his nemesis. "You're twenty-three, idiot."

"Twenty-three, yes. And I've already got a kid."

A hundred feet away, Kuroba Senri was busy digging a hole with a large plastic spoon, his dirt-smeared face looking quite determined and set on making a grave for what looked like a terribly mauled teddy bear.

"I can imagine you as a little kid doing the same thing," said Shinichi dryly, as he watched Senri cover up the little grave with a pile of dirt and a well-placed rock.

"I can't. The teddy bear would have been abused a bit more..." Kaito blinked. "Wait, my son doesn't have one. He has a stuffed dog."

Shinichi frowned at the scene, and squinted at the lump of torn toy his friend's son was clutching tightly in his little hands. "Pardon me if I'm mistaken," said Shinichi haltingly, "but - is that my _daughter's_ teddy bear?"

As if on cue, there was a high-pitched cry and Kudo Tsuzume ran into her dad's arms, little tears trickling down her blue eyes. "Senri stole my toy!" she said angrily, stomping the ground. "And I know he's planning to bury it, because he took Auntie Kuroba's serving spoon and started running toward the trees there!" she wailed, pointing.

"He put it next to the big one," said Shinichi consolingly. "Now go and get it while I...talk to Uncle Kuroba here," he said, shooting an icy glare at Kaito. Tsuzume nodded, wiping the tears from her eyes, and ran off to find her beloved teddy bear.

Kaito tried to put on an apologetic smile, but Shinichi's glare was too much. "What? I'm not the one who buried it!"

"It's wonderful to know what kind of morals you've been teaching your kid," said Shinichi coldly, picking up his book. "He's already stealing things at such a young age."

"It's genetic?" offered Kaito meekly.

"I hate you."

For a while, the day at the park passed rather uneventfully. After Kaito had forced Senri to apologize to an extremely irate Tsuzune, the children had seemingly forgotten about the whole bout and began playing together again, flinging sand at each other and attempting to climb up the trees. Shinichi had to smile at that. Despite the fights, the two children got along rather well. Whenever Tsuzune tripped and fell, Senri always waited for her, and whenever Senri got into a mess, Tsuzune would offer napkins. Still, though...

"If your son ever does anything to my daughter," said Shinichi darkly, "I'll kill him."

"Oh, come on. They're children. What can happen?"

Indeed, everything seemed to be fine. Senri was chasing after a napkin that had flown away from his hands, and Tsuzune was helping Ran make the sandwiches. Shinichi smiled as he watched his daughter examine a few jars, finally selecting one that was bright red.

"You know what would be really weird?" said Kaito after a moment.

"What?"

"If in the future, your Senri and Tsuzune got together."

Shinichi choked on his water. "Tsuzune's above that."

"Hey!"

Suddenly, Senri screamed, tossing his sandwich to the ground. His face was flushed scarlet and he scrambled toward a water bottle, gulping down the contents. Beside him, Tsuzune continued eating, looking suspiciously unaware of the ruckus Senri was making.

Kaito and Shinichi stared at each other. "What just happened?" said Kaito, bewildered.

Shinichi walked over to the picnic table, an idea popping into his head. He reached over his daughter and into the picnic basket, searching for something. It had to be there. His fingers grasped a glass jar and he picked it up, reading the label.

_Rikuya's Super-Hot Sauce._

Tsuzune's lip trembled as she looked at the incredulous expression on her father's face, his eyes growing wider by the second. "Daddy?" she whispered. "You - you're not angry at me, are you?"

Shinichi stood there, still stunned, before he slowly came back to his senses. He glanced at Kaito, who was trying to find some more water bottles, and then Senri, who was still extremely red in the face. And then he looked down at his daughter, who looked somewhat terrified of what her father would do.

"Tsuzune..." began Shinichi.

"Yes?" gulped Tsuzune.

Shinichi patted her back, shooting a victorious smile at Kuroba. "I'm disappointed. You should have put a worm in his sandwich too."

* * *

_**A/N:** Thank you Erin for Senri, and Shekal for Tsuzune. I had fun writing this one. Should I continue off their children? _

_The Greatest Enemy is next. Out of all the ones I've written, with the exception of The Dangerous Meatball, I like The Greatest Enemy the best._


	16. The Greatest Enemy

**Fandom:** Detective Conan/Case Closed/Magic Kaitou

**Disclaimer:** They belong to Gosho Aoyama. I wish they were mine. o.o

**Story** **Title:** Collective Moments

**Notes:** SNAKE LOOKS WEIRD.

**Chapter Title: **The Greatest Enemy

**Chapter Summary: **Kaito must face the greatest enemy. There is no backing down now as the seconds pass by, he poises to attack.

**Chapter Quote: **There are bare seconds left before the fight begins.

* * *

Kaito must face him now, the greatest enemy.

There have been times when he'd wake up in the night, exhausted and damp with sweat, the last vestiges of a nightmare gripping him. He has known that the confrontation was inevitable, and he has thought about it often - about what would lead up to it, and how it would end. His mind has been cold with this front, and he closes his eyes, trying to erase the images of disaster, of pain.

But he can wait no longer. The greatest enemy is here.

Kaito looks into the cold eyes of the one he hates, despises until he can feel the blood burning underneath his skin. He can almost see a sick grin on the face of the enemy, waiting for the Phantom Thief to make the first move. Kaito's heart begins to race, and there's a painful throbbing in his ears as they stare at each other, one pair of eyes as cruel as the next. There are bare seconds left before the fight begins.

It is now, or never.

And as he slowly raises his knife, Kaito knows that he must now destroy the fish.

* * *

_**A/N:** My expression when I was writing this was: 8DDD_

_I hope you liked it! I had this on my mind for AGES. Reviews are love!  
_


	17. Double Standard

**Fandom:** Detective Conan/Case Closed/Magic Kaitou

**Disclaimer:** They belong to Gosho Aoyama. I wish they were mine. o.o

**Story** **Title:** Collective Moments

**Notes:** My boyfriends aren't allowed to either.

**Chapter Title: **Double Standard

**Chapter Summary: **Kaito and Aoko discuss their unborn baby, and Kaito acts like an idiot.

**Chapter Quote: **"You want our boy to be a manwhore?"

* * *

Kaito stared contemplatively at Aoko's growing stomach. After a while, he said quite flatly, "It's going to be a boy."

Aoko rolled her eyes and leaned back comfortably in her chair. "I'm afraid of what kind of father you're going to be."

The Phantom Thief sniffed in a dignified manner. "I'm not going to be one of those absent fathers, if that's what you're afraid of. No. I'm going to be here all the time, making sure he gets through school...teaching him things..."

Aoko sat up. "What things?"

There was a moment of shifty silence. "You know. Things."

"Like?" said Aoko dangerously.

"Just the things I know," said Kaito, hiding the guilt from his voice. "How to flip skirts from five feet away...how to charm even the most stubborn of women..."

"You want our boy to be a manwhore?"

"No, I want him to be a stud."

Aoko glared at her husband before she shook her head and sighed. "Forget it. What if the thing turns out to be a girl?"

"Teach her all my magic tricks - same as I would if she was a guy. You know, I wouldn't treat them any different." Kaito shrugged.

Aoko blinked, a few things clicking in her mind. "Wait, so...what will you do when she's sixteen and starts wanting to date?"

Kaito yawned, looking bored. "It's okay. I'll let her."

"There's something you're not telling me."

"Yeah. Whoever she dates has to be in the top of his class, and whenever he comes over to this house he is not allowed to talk to, look at, or think about my daughter."

Aoko snorted. "Let me get this straight. You'll want our boy to be making his rounds with all the girls, but if the baby's a girl you're going to be cruel to all the guys that look at her?"

Kaito opened his mouth and closed it. He looked a bit stricken for a moment, and opened his mouth again, but failing to think of something to say, he closed it once more.

"You look like a fish," sighed Aoko, and reveled in the sound of her husband's exasperated groan.

* * *

_**A/N:** Meep! I'm in IB (which is more difficult than AP), so I've been crazy busy. Here's the update  
_


	18. Tabloids

**Fandom:** Detective Conan/Case Closed/Magic Kaitou

**Disclaimer:** They belong to Gosho Aoyama. I wish they were mine. o.o

**Story** **Title:** Collective Moments

**Notes:** My update after 23876925736 months. Sorry it took so long! :P

**Chapter Title: **Tabloids

**Chapter Summary: **Kaito finds amusement over a photoshopped paparazzi picture of him and Shinichi.

**Chapter Quote: **"How did his hand end up _there_, and why do you look so....forlorn?"

* * *

"Once upon a time," said Ran, contemplating, "I might have been offended."

Shinichi looked up from his computer, looking extremely vexed and tired. His hair was unusually mussed from running his fingers repeatedly through it in frustration. It had not been a good morning at the office, and he had hoped that there would at least be an hour of peace where he could keep to himself, look over old documents, perhaps re-read some Doyle in perfect silence...."And now?"

"It's kind of funny," she grinned, examining the tabloid cover. "How did his hand end up _there_, and why do you look so....forlorn?"

"It's a trick of the light. And don't say that," moaned Shinichi, deflating a little. "Not in - not in front of _him_."

"Honestly, Kudo-kun," said Kuroba Kaito levely, snatching the offending slip of paper from Ran, "I see nothing here but a perfectly normal, if slightly photoshopped and pixelated photo, of you and me doing nothing _particularly_ strange." He paused, and then raised an eyebrow at Shinichi. "Of course, the headline atop of it is another matter entirely."

"I," said Shinichi, summoning the dying bits of his ego, "am not an object that is to be _theived_, by _you_, in a manner like -"

Kaito cleared his throat and read aloud. "_Kaitou Kid Steals Secret Moonlight Encounters With His Favorite Tokyo Detective. Juicy Details of Their Tragic Affairs on Page 8._" He smiled as Shinichi visibly faltered. "Well, the fangirls beg to differ on that point."

* * *

_**A/N:** Happy New Year's y'all. :) It's a short and sweet one-shot for luck!  
_


	19. Morning

**Fandom:** Detective Conan/Case Closed/Magic Kaitou

**Disclaimer:** They belong to Gosho Aoyama. I wish they were mine. o.o

**Story** **Title:** Collective Moments

**Notes:** I don't know why I haven't written Akai before!

**Chapter Title: **Morning

**Chapter Summary: **Akai thinks about Akemi on the last morning, not wanting to admit the quiet desperation he's never felt before.

**Chapter Quote: **In a way it hurts to be deceived by the person you're deceiving.

* * *

She called me a whore before. That was a few months ago, by the cafe when Rei pointed me out. I didn't hear her; the coffee machine was too loud and I thought she had asked for more napkins. And I liked that look on her face, all glowy from the sun, and those pink sardonic lips, so I passed her some slips and wrote my number on them. That's how it started, with a misunderstanding. She went along with it. Didn't call me back, but I thought she was just playing it cool. Hard-to-get. And she was, in too many ways. I saw her at the library a few days later. Said hi.

Then we slept together.

So it's been like this for a few weeks. Perhaps we both thought of how convenient the other was at first, but then actors can always see their own, and we quickly realized what a sham this was. This love. In a way it hurts to be deceived by the person you're deceiving. I don't let it on though. We're in a delicate balance. What have we even said to each other? I'm looking at her right now, arms askance around a pillow. She looks different asleep. We all do. I shift, and the sheets pull down from her shoulder. There's a soft bruise there. Without thinking, I bend to kiss it.

She wakes up at the light touch on her skin. "What time is it?"

I turn away and pretend to yawn, try to look bored. I touch my lips. This shouldn't matter. It never did before. But before was different and much more simple. I don't know when it - we - whatever started, but this seems endlessly false, making love when there's nothing there. "Five."

Her shirt's already on and she's reaching for her pants.

"Work already?"

She tosses me a half glare. I know it's fake. It's funny but a little strange how she tries to be tough. Sometimes before she falls asleep, her brows furrow and she curls up a little more. She's pretending. I'm pretending. This whole thing is a joke and we're playing each other but there won't be a victor. None of us can ever control the other. It's supposed to be our game, an innocent ploy for them. But it's already gone. "There's a heist today. I should probably get going before the action starts."

The honestly makes me go cold inside. I merely raise my eyebrows at her. We've never talked about this - it's like watching a movie and seeing the actors suddenly mention information beyond their character's knowledge. Staying in our roles has been difficult enough. I'm supposed to be a womanizing barista and she's supposed to be...something, I don't even know. It changes when she comes back from the lab. Sometimes she's demanding and there's barely even a hello. Sometimes we just lie there, not talking, just breathing in each other. It's those nights that I'm afraid that I won't see her again. And then I feel guilty for feeling that way at all.

I grab her arm as she gets up, and pull her back toward me. We kiss halfheartedly. Her lips are shaking a little and I can feel her hands going cold in the crook of my neck. I lean forward, touch her. Perhaps we know.

And I can't help but wonder if faking something already fake makes it real.

I fall back on the bed. She looks at me, her hair tangled, her face confused. "What's wrong?"

This is the moment I should tell her. Perhaps it'll make it better for all she's done for me. But I can't even do that right. The words choke out and jumble out of my throat and I hear myself whispering, "Help."

* * *

_**A/N:** Haha, SO stressed with AP and IB and ACT and SAT and JROTC right now. _ Sorry about the sporadic updates! And I hope you liked._

_Reviews are love and greatly appreciated :D Thank you for reading.  
_


End file.
